Ball sprocket chain and wheel.



No. 889,195. PATENTED JUNE 2, 1908. R. H. BOWMAN.

BALL SPROGKET CHAIN AND WHEEL; APPLICATION FILED FEB. 8, 190a.

ling

V IV N "Z INVENTOH z Jfoberf 171 50 BY 2W JTTORNEYJ ROBERT HENRY BOWMAN, OF CANON CITY, COLORADO.

BALL SPROCKET CHAIN AND'WHEEL.

I No. 889,195.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 2, 1908.

Application filed. February 8, 1908. Serial N 0. 414,919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT H. BOWMAN, residing at Canon City, in the county of Fremont and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ball S procket Chains and Wheels, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in drive gearing of the.

sprocket and chaintype which is more particularly ada ted for use in connection with automobile rives and the like, and my invention is particularly designed sothat the chainmay be used as an ordinary sprocket chain for direct power transmission or it may run in a twist or may be run overlapped or crossed, as conditions may require.

In its generic nature, the invention embodies a chain composed of a series of balls, eithe'r hollow or solid, which are connected together by swivel link connections so that the chain may cooperate with a sprocket gear of asheave Wheel type having a circumferential groove with properly spaced ears. 'or lugs at the sides forming open cups for the balls to rest inas the chain passes around the sprocket. i

Inwits more subordinate nature, the invention embodies certain novel details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts, all of which will be first described in detail, then be specifically pointedoutin the'appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1, is 'a perspective view of a sprocket wheel and chain embodying my invention. Fig. 2, is a similar view showing how the same may be run crossed. Fig. 3,-- is an enlarged detail perspective view of a pair. of balls showing their swivel link connection.

Fig. 4, is a central, longitudinal section of the parts shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 5, is an enlarged detail perspective view of the locking pin that cooperates with the ball bolts to old the swivel links in position. .Fig. 6, shows how the pin maybe removed from the bolt. Figs. 7 & 8, are detail views that show a modified means for securing, the swivel links to the ball bolts. i

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, in"which like letters and numerals of re erence indicate like parts, 1 designates the chain which consists of the balls 2, the ball bolts 3 the swivel links 4 and the locking pins-5, together with the washers 6 and 7 that .may be interposed between the swivel links 4, the balls 2 and the pins 5.

In the practical application of my invention, the balls 2 may be either hollow or solid and formed of any material that may be found desirable, the bolts 3 have their ends apertured as at 3 to receive the locking pins 5, which are preferably formed, as shown in Fig. 5, of a cylindrical portion 5*, adapted to I pass through the apertures 3 and a resilient loop 5 terminating in a fiat portion 5 to en gage the end of the bolt 3 and an off-set portion 5 to project over the bolt and prevent the pin slipping out of lace. In order to remove the pin 5, it is on y necessary to spring the oif-setportion 5 into a plane with the end of the bolt and move the pin out of the bolt aperture. The swivel links 4 may be made of any approved material and may be provided with overlapping ends 4 apertured to receive thebolts 3, as indicated in Fig. 3.

Instead of using a locking pin 5'of the type shown in Figs. 1 to 5, of my invention, the same type of pin may be used as. shown in Fig. 7, but in this form the pin 5 has its off-set portion 5 projecting through the aperture 3 and is provided with a supplemental offset portion 5 so that,in order to remove the pin from the bolts it is only necessary to squeeze the loop together and withdraw the pin from the bolt aperture. The s rocket wheel 6, which is 'articularly adapte for use in connection wit my chain, comprises the side disk portion 6 having peripheral lugs 6 arranged radially to cooperate with the annular groove 6 formed in the periphery of the sprocket gear, the groove 6 cooperating with pockets 6 d formed between the adjacent lugs 6 to receive the balls 2.,

When my sprocket chain is to be used crossed, as shown in Fig. 2, I prefer. to interpose a Wedge member 8, suitably su ported in any approved manner, so that the mks of the chain where they cross will not come in contact with one another and hence prevent any possible chance of binding the chain, due to its being crossed.

. From the foregoing description taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, it is thought the complete construction, operation and many advantages of my invention will be readily understoodnby those. I

skilled in the art to which the invention appertains, and I desire it understood that slight changes in the details of construction may be made without departin from "the spirit of the invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A s rocket chain comprising a series of.

3. A s rocket chain comprising a series of balls, bo ts passing'therethrough, link mem bers swivelly mounted on said bolts, looking ins passing through the bolts to retain the ink members thereon, and washers interposed between the bers.

balls and the link memssaies I 4. A s rocket chain comprising a series of balls, b0 ts -passing therethrough, link members swivelly mounted on said bolts, locking ins passing through the bolts to retain the ink members thereon, washers interposed between the balls and the link members, and Washers inter osed between the link members-and the ocking pins.

5. A s rocket chain comprising a series of balls, b0 ts passing therethrough, link membersswivelly mounted on said bolts, locking ins passing through the bolts to retain the ink members thereon, and Washers interosed between the link members and the ocking pins.

ROBERT HENRY BQWMAN." Witnesses I J..T. CORRIN, Mrs. H. R. MCQUOWN. 

